The world is changing rapidly, so is healthcare technology. In today’s accelerated technological environment, changes are occurring at a blistering pace. In the last fifteen years, we have progressed from phone books, to computers, to handheld devices. Although not as visible to the naked eye, healthcare has actually progressed at an even higher velocity than many of the technologies we are familiar with. Doctors have moved from loose paper based charting, to structured computer documentation that allows for standardized reporting and benchmarking, all the way to system assisted medicine. This transition from paper to digital has opened the doors for technological advancement within healthcare at a pace that has never been seen before.
These advances in healthcare technology are having a profound effect on the entire healthcare ecosystem. They are allowing for cross-functional integration and collaboration amongst disparate healthcare professionals and systems. Consider this- if you received a prescription ten years ago, it was likely on a piece of paper. Today, it is transmitted electronically through a clearinghouse to the local pharmacy. This simple change alone accounts for an almost unlimited branching of technological opportunities such as drug interaction comparison, medication adherence, utilization tracking and ways to overcome the opioid crisis. Now, multiply this times 10,000 and you begin to see the speed at which healthcare technology is driving innovation.
Advancements in Healthcare technology are further accelerated and driven by companies such as CompuGroup Medical. CompuGroup Medical is the leading company solely focused on e-health with more than one million users worldwide. It is currently in the final stages of development of the foremost cutting-edge electronic medical record, practice management, patient engagement, and provider/patient toolset platform in the industry – the MediOne platform. These types of technological advancements will continue to facilitate a better exchange of patient data, as well as drive additional utilization through intuitive adoption amongst both provider and patient communities. Innovation such as this will continue to deliver a surge of better patient outcomes while improving operational and financial efficiency within the healthcare sector. This will, in turn, allow providers to deliver better care across the continuum of the patient/provider universe.
Healthcare technology businesses, just like any other business, are based upon need, service, creativity and ultimately customer satisfaction. Competition is strong, so what is your company’s differentiator, what makes you unique? This is the question you ask yourself as a company in this competitive technology market. For businesses, you need to move with the times and the technology. The business culture is fast paced and with a creative edge. When developing and testing a technological breakthrough, companies must ask themselves whether or not they actually innovate, and whether or not that innovation is at the expense of the user experience:
- Do you just plan to reinvent the wheel?
- What will distinguish you from the competition?
- Will the product need a tutorial and extensive training?
- Is it intuitive enough?
- How will the User Experience be?
However, the most important question is if the product will actually enable the customer:
- Will the customer be able to achieve their goals of digitalization?
Businesses will survive and keep up with these healthcare advancements in technology by expanding on the points below:
- Envision: Make sure you have a clear vision of what the supposed outcome will be. Have a clear WHY for what you’re doing. Don’t just do it for the sake of doing it or “winging it”.
- Plan: This is your roadmap, your guide to how the business will function and what your end goal will be. Make sure to account for changes as well, as they will inevitably happen.
- Implement: It’s all about how you implement your plan. This requires obtaining the proper personnel. You cannot have a lackluster, lackadaisical freeloader waiting for things to drop in his or her lap. They need the tenacity, the forward thinking, and the drive. Processes need to be put in place as guidelines for your departments to work collaboratively with an end goal in mind.
- Grow: Healthcare technology is a growing business. Physicians are eager to increase their efficiency and lower administrative burdens to be able to spend more of their time with the actual patient. Patients want excellent care, with the least amount of cost and the best return. Move with the times- market trends, competitive analysis, trade shows, and focus groups are just some ways your business can grow. You should be the sponge of knowledge and you should have a creative and aggressive marketing campaign. Communicate what your business can do effectively, efficiently and creatively.
- Lead and Challenge: Your business should be at the forefront of the technologies. You want to be the leader not the follower. You want to be able to push the trend and create the market saturation. Invent and create. Be the one that comes up with the idea and implement. Make sure your business is unique in what it is offering.
About the Author
Benedikt Brueckle is the CEO of CompuGroup Medical US. He is the top performing management executive in e-Health and digital healthcare with expertise in building and optimizing organizational processes, measurement systems, and infrastructure to maximize business results. He also has expertise in running software operations throughout Europe, including restructuring, opening new markets, and expanding market share. Benedikt focuses on developing strategic plans into workable solutions, and benchmarking performance against key operational targets and goals. In addition, Benedikt oversees mergers and acquisitions in various countries with due diligence by negotiating contracts and post-acquisition integrations. His success is proven through his initiatives that exceed operational performance targets and yield measurable outcomes. CompuGroup Medical’s CEO is a strategic leader, driven to grow and expand business organically and inorganically, explore new markets, and drive efficiency.
Source: The League of Extraordinary CEOs